{"id":558303,"date":"2025-08-25T20:54:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T23:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=558303"},"modified":"2025-08-25T20:54:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T23:54:19","slug":"children-can-help-make-cities-more-welcoming-and-inclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/children-can-help-make-cities-more-welcoming-and-inclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"Children can help make cities more welcoming and inclusive"},"content":{"rendered":"

What makes a space public or private? What would streets look like without cars? Is our city truly walkable? Are there hidden rivers beneath the pavement? What does public housing mean? These are some of the questions posed by Agentes Urbanos e a Cidade Participativa<\/em> (Urban Agents and the Participatory City), an interactive game designed by Cartilha da Cidade, a research and outreach group at the University of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning (IAU-USP). The initiative, created for students ranging from early childhood to graduate education, brings real-world urban challenges into the fictional city of Rios Perenes, represented by a blend of board game mechanics and a scale model. \u201cThe goal is to encourage discussion, empathy, and critical thinking as players work together to shape urban policies that affect everyday life,\u201d explains Miguel Buzzar, a professor of modern architecture and urban planning at IAU-USP and founder of Cartilha da Cidade.<\/p>\n

Buzzar first developed the concept a decade ago while leading urban-planning workshops in S\u00e3o Carlos public schools. Since its official launch in 2018, Urban Agents and the Participatory City has evolved into five versions, each tailored for different age groups. It is available as a free download on the Cartilha da Cidade website. In each session, which unfolds over two 50-minute rounds, participants are split into groups of \u201curban agents,\u201d representing community organizations, government departments, and other stakeholders. Their mission? To discuss and decide, for instance, should a vacant lot become a shopping mall or a cultural center with a public library? \u201cThe game has no winners or losers\u2014it\u2019s about collaboration,\u201d says Buzzar.<\/p>\n

The game mechanics are partly inspired by The World Peace Game, a 1978 educational tool created by American teacher John Hunter. At its core, though, the project draws on the \u201cright to the city,\u201d a concept formulated by French philosopher and sociologist Henri Lefebvre (1901\u20131991) in the 1960s, which advocates for inclusive, community-driven urban planning. This is precisely what children and teenagers interviewed in a study by the Center for Research on Childhood and Early Education at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (NEPEI-UFMG) aspire to. Published late last year, the report \u201cDireitos de crian\u00e7as e adolescentes: Diagn\u00f3stico do munic\u00edpio de Belo Horizonte\u201d (Children\u2019s and adolescents\u2019 rights: A snapshot of Belo Horizonte) was developed in collaboration with the city government.<\/p>\n

The study gathered inputs from 234 children and adolescents ages 18 and under from neighborhoods with varying social and economic conditions in Belo Horizonte. Among other topics, the study explored how young people interact with public spaces in the city. Their feedback revealed concerns about street conditions, play areas, public lighting, and mobility. A letter written in 2023 by children living in a squatting settlement, included in the report and addressed to Belo Horizonte\u2019s mayor, echoed these same concerns. In the letter, they ask officials to improve local bus schedules and bus stops in the area, among other requests.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren can recognize urban issues and suggest ways to address them,\u201d says educator Maria Cristina Soares de Gouv\u00eaa, a retired professor from the School of Education (FAE) at UFMG and a contributor to the study. \u201cThey realize, for example, that limited mobility\u2014driven by expensive, inefficient public transit and poorly maintained roads\u2014makes life harder for them, their families, and their neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cartilha da Cidade Outreach and Research Group\/ IAU-USP, S\u00e3o Carlos campus<\/span>Students playing Urban Agents and the Participatory City, a game developed by USP researchersCartilha da Cidade Outreach and Research Group\/ IAU-USP, S\u00e3o Carlos campus<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Gouv\u00eaa notes that over the past 40 years, global attitudes toward childhood have shifted significantly. \u201cChildren should not be treated solely as subjects of public policy, but as citizens in their own right, with a voice on these initiatives,\u201d she argues. This shift began with the adoption of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, now ratified by 196 countries. This landmark treaty defines children as individuals with distinct rights and responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Brazil ratified the convention in 1990, using it as the basis for the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA), which codifies Article 227 of the 1988 Constitution. This new legislation replaced the Minors\u2019 Code from the military dictatorship era (1964\u20131985), establishing that the state, families, and society have a shared duty to promote children\u2019s rights and their all-round development as a matter of utmost priority. This framework is supplemented by additional policies, including the Early Childhood Regulatory Framework, the National Early Childhood Plan, and municipal early childhood plans.<\/p>\n

While the Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms a child\u2019s right to participation, meaningful implementation is still lacking. \u201cMerely stating that children participate is not enough. We need to create real opportunities for their voices to be heard and their ideas to influence political decisions,\u201d says Marcia Aparecida Gobbi, a professor of social science at the USP School of Education (FE). She co-edited O direito da crian\u00e7a \u00e0 cidade: Perspectivas desde o Brasil e Portugal<\/em> (A child\u2019s right to the city: Perspectives from Brazil and Portugal; FEUSP, 2022), a collection of articles by researchers from both countries.<\/p>\n

One notable initiative in Brazil, says Gobbi, is the Participatory Budget for Children, introduced in S\u00e3o Paulo in the early 2000s. The project was inspired by Paulo Freire (1921\u20131997), the renowned educator who advocated for early childhood education as a tool to develop children\u2019s sense of civics. Between 2003 and 2004, the initiative organized school assemblies across S\u00e3o Paulo, where children discussed issues concerning both their schools and the broader city. Though eventually discontinued, the project influenced other participatory initiatives in Brazil. \u201cThese programs encourage discussion, collective proposal-building, and the formation of student organizations,\u201d explains Gobbi. \u201cItalian educator and illustrator Francesco Tonucci famously said that a city designed for children is a city that works for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jundia\u00ed, a city in S\u00e3o Paulo State, is one of the Brazilian municipalities leading the way in child participation. In 2017, Jundia\u00ed implemented a Municipal Child Policy designed to improve public spaces, create safer routes, and increase children\u2019s interaction with nature. In 2018, as part of its Master Plan review, the city formally incorporated the views of children and caregivers into its blueprint for urban growth and development. A committee was established, now made up of 24 children, to provide input on urban planning decisions.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of the Boa Vista Municipal Government <\/span>\u201cEarly Childhood Pathways,\u201d an initiative by the Boa Vista municipal government in RoraimaCourtesy of the Boa Vista Municipal Government <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

That same year, Jundia\u00ed became part of the global City of Children network, an initiative founded in Italy in 1991 by Francesco Tonucci to give children a voice in public policy. Last year, Tonucci spoke at the First International Seminar on Public Policies for Childhood, hosted by the Office of the Associate Dean for Extension, Sports, and Culture and the Center for Public Policy Studies (NEPP) at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). At the event, UNICAMP, the Jundia\u00ed city government, and the City of Children project formalized a partnership set to begin implementation this year.<\/p>\n

Roberta Rocha Borges, head of the Early Childhood Education Program at NEPP-UNICAMP, says the aim of the collaboration is to expand the City of Children network in Brazil. Established in 2023, the network now includes Jundia\u00ed and 16 other cities across six Brazilian states, among them Pelotas (RS), Recife (PE), Boa Vista (RR), and Mococa (SP). \u201cOne of our biggest challenges is maintaining these initiatives across election cycles and government transitions,\u201d says Borges, a professor in UNICAMP\u2019s graduate education program.<\/p>\n

One planned initiative will create study groups bringing together university researchers and municipal government representatives. \u201cActively listening is an important part of any methodology that genuinely recognizes children as having citizens\u2019 rights, but it must be done sensibly,\u201d says Borges. \u201cIt\u2019s important to carefully consider which of the children\u2019s proposals are practicable and how they can contribute to the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Published in Brazil last year, the book Desenhando ruas para crian\u00e7as<\/em> (Designing Streets for Kids<\/em>) (Editora Senac) presents strategies for creating more child-friendly urban spaces. The book was developed by the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), a US-based organization of architects, urban planners, and designers. GDCI was launched as part of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), a coalition of 81 US cities and institutions dedicated to urban mobility solutions. The book provides recommendations such as timing traffic lights to facilitate safer pedestrian crossings, installing seating areas along walkways, and establishing pedestrian-priority streets and zones (see infographic<\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/div>

\n \n \n \n <\/picture>Alexandre Affonso \/ Revista Pesquisa FAPESP<\/span><\/div>
\n

\u201cCities must be designed with all pedestrians in mind\u2014including those who take shorter steps or need to be pushed in a stroller,\u201d says architect Rodrigo Mindlin Loeb of Mackenzie Presbyterian University (UPM). Loeb adds that urban solutions tailored for children\u2019s needs must be built around the specific characteristics of each area. This is discussed in Cidade, g\u00eanero e inf\u00e2ncia<\/em> (City, gender, and childhood; Editora Romano Guerra e Pistache Editorial, 2021), a book co-edited by Loeb and architect Ana Gabriela Godinho Lima, both from UPM, who head UPM\u2019s Research Center on Cities, Gender, and Childhood (NPCGI). One of the initiatives featured in the book is Aula P\u00fablica (Public Classroom), launched in 2016 by geographer and social scientist Paulo Magalh\u00e3es. Magalh\u00e3es, a teacher at Duque de Caxias Municipal Elementary School in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Glic\u00e9rio neighborhood, holds outdoor classes in the surrounding area, creating a deeper connection between students and the urban spaces they navigate daily. His efforts have earned him both national and international recognition, including the 2021 Teacher Award from the Indian organization Aks Education Awards.<\/p>\n

The book showcases initiatives to improve living conditions for children and women in socially vulnerable urban areas across Brazil. \u201cIn Brazil, caregiving duties overwhelmingly fall on women (see<\/em> Pesquisa FAPESP issue no. 299<\/em>). When women are in poor living condition, children inevitably suffer as well,\u201d says Loeb, a member of the Architecture and Childhood working group within the International Union of Architects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen designing cities, we need to take an inclusive approach to children\u2014considering not only children in general but also those with disabilities and those living in poverty,\u201d adds Gobbi from FE-USP. Since 2017, Gobbi has been researching children living in squatter settlements in S\u00e3o Paulo, with funding from FAPESP, the USP Institute for Advanced Studies (IEA), and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). Drawing on her research, she authored the book Desenhar e ocupar: Crian\u00e7as da Mau\u00e1, Prestes Maia e Ipiranga<\/em> (Drawing and occupying: Children in Mau\u00e1, Prestes Maia, and Ipiranga; FEUSP, 2023). Gobbi currently leads an outreach project called \u201cIn the afternoons: Imagination and art with children in squatter settlements in downtown S\u00e3o Paulo.\u201d Launched in 2022, the initiative brings together undergraduate students from USP\u2019s history, social sciences, and teaching degree programs. \u201cThe goal of this project is to encourage children to observe and engage with their surroundings using drawing, photography, and exploratory walks, and to foster discussion on the social inequalities that affect their daily lives,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

Another salient issue, says Loeb, is the environmental crisis, which disproportionately affects vulnerable populations\u2014especially children. Today, 370,000 early childhood and elementary school students in Brazil\u2019s major cities are enrolled in schools situated in high-risk zones, vulnerable to floods, flash floods, and landslides. These findings were published last year in a study by Instituto Alana in collaboration with MapBiomas\u2014a project led by the environmental NGO Observat\u00f3rio do Clima\u2014and the data journalism agency Fiquem Sabendo. \u201cThe study found that 90% of at-risk schools are located within 500 meters from favelas, illustrating the interplay that exists between social inequality and climate vulnerability,\u201d explains Leila Vendrametto, who heads Instituto Alana\u2019s Urbanizar Program and is a PhD researcher in environmental science at USP.<\/p>\n

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Bruno Santos\u2009\/\u2009Folhapress<\/span>“Japy Childhood Factory,\u201d in Jundia\u00ed (SP): a space designed with input from the city\u2019s childrenBruno Santos\u2009\/\u2009Folhapress<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Loeb believes that, starting at the undergraduate level, architects and urban planners need to be trained to address child-related considerations in urban planning. \u201cYet, most architecture and urban planning programs in Brazil lack foundational courses addressing this topic,\u201d he points out. Architect Samy Lansky notes that urban planning is a transdisciplinary field. \u201cIt intersects with fields like history, geography, sociology, and visual arts,\u201d says Lansky, who completed a doctorate at UFMG in 2012 with a thesis titled, \u201cNa cidade, com crian\u00e7as: Em busca de uma etnografia especializada\u201d (In the city, with children: In search of a specialized ethnography).<\/p>\n

One of the earliest Brazilian works on this subject is the book As \u201ctrocinhas\u201d do Bom Retiro<\/em> (The boys of Bom Retiro; 1944), in which sociologist Florestan Fernandes (1920\u20131995) examines child\u2019s play and children\u2019s relationship with S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s urban spaces. In the field of educational policy, one of Brazil\u2019s earliest initiatives dates back to the 1930s, when writer M\u00e1rio de Andrade (1893\u20131945), then director of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Department of Culture and Leisure, commissioned the construction of a network of children\u2019s parks. \u201cThese parks were intended mainly for children from low-income families, giving them access to the right to play,\u201d explains Lansky.<\/p>\n

Lansky is applying the same principle in a project he has led since 2013 in Vila Pindura Saia, Belo Horizonte. The initiative began when Lansky was a professor at Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Mineira de Educa\u00e7\u00e3o (FUMEC), heading research and outreach programs. \u201cWhile observing the surroundings of the university, an upper-middle-class neighborhood, I noticed a small working-class community nearby. That made me wonder how I could contribute to improving conditions there,\u201d says Lansky, who now leads Amigos da Rua, a cultural collective certified as a Cultural Site by Brazil\u2019s Ministry of Culture in 2023. \u201cWhen I first arrived in Pindura Saia, it was the children who gave me a tour. They pointed out a spot along their route to school that was being used as a motorcycle parking lot but had the potential to become a public square.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on inputs from residents, particularly the children, collected through a series of workshops and community meetings, the location was gradually remodeled. In 2017, the local government officially recognized the site as Nossa Pracinha (Our Little Square), which now serves as a venue for film screenings, games, and community gatherings. Over the years, the project has engaged professors and students from FUMEC\u2019s architecture and design programs and UFMG\u2019s School of Architecture. It has also received backing from NEPEI-UFMG and the Minas Gerais chapter of the Brazilian Institute of Architects (IAB-MG). \u201cOne suggestion from both the children and architecture students was to turn a wall into a movie screen,\u201d recalls Lansky, who analyzed the initiative during his postdoctoral research at FAE-UFMG between 2019 and 2021. Last year, the space was renovated and now features a new mural by visual artist Kawany Tamoyos, paying tribute to Concei\u00e7\u00e3o Evaristo, a writer born and raised in Vila Pindura Saia.<\/p>\n

The story above was published with the title “The right to the city<\/strong>” in issue in issue 348 of february\/2025.<\/p>\n

Project
\n<\/strong>Images of Sao Paulo: Housing and struggle in central and peripheral regions of the city based on imaged created by children living in occupations (n\u00ba 17\/11440-2<\/a>); Grant Mechanism<\/strong> Regular Research Grant; Principal Investigator<\/strong> Marcia Aparecida Gobbi; Investment<\/strong> R$25,044.70.<\/p>\n

Scientific articles<\/strong>
\nANJOS, C. I & GOBBI, M. A. Inf\u00e2ncias, movimentos sociais e cidade: Reflex\u00f5es urgentes em meio \u00e0 \u201cfadiga da compaix\u00e3o\u201d<\/a>. Educar em revista<\/strong>. 2024.
\n<\/strong>GOUV\u00caA, M. C. S de & LANSKY, S. Inf\u00e2ncia e espa\u00e7os urbanos: Perspectivas de pesquisa e interven\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>. Em Aberto \/ Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais An\u00edsio Teixeira do Minist\u00e9rio da Educa\u00e7\u00e3o (Inep\/MEC)<\/strong>. Vol. 36, no. 117, pp. 25\u201344. 2023.
\n<\/strong>LIMA, A. G. D & LOEB, R. M. Mulheres e crian\u00e7as em territ\u00f3rios urbanos vulner\u00e1veis. Semin\u00e1rio Internacional de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Urbanismo<\/strong>. S\u00e3o Paulo\/Lisbon, 2020.<\/p>\n

Books
\n<\/strong>GOBBI, M. A. et al<\/em>. (Ed.). O direito das crian\u00e7as \u00e0 cidade: Perspectivas desde o Brasil e Portugal<\/strong><\/a>. S\u00e3o Paulo: FEUSP, 2022.
\n<\/strong>GOBBI, M. A. Desenhar e ocupar: Crian\u00e7as da Mau\u00e1, Prestes Maia e Ipiranga<\/strong><\/a>. S\u00e3o Paulo: FEUSP, 2023.
\n<\/strong>LIMA, A. G. D & LOEB, R. M. (ed.). Cidade, g\u00eanero e inf\u00e2ncia<\/strong>. S\u00e3o Paulo: Pistache Editorial – Instituto Brasiliana, 2021.<\/p>\n

Book chapter<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>LOEB, R. M. \u201cArquitetura, territorialidades e inf\u00e2ncias no mundo em colapso: Desafios e vislumbres de outros mundos poss\u00edveis\u201d. In: O habitar das inf\u00e2ncias e juventudes: Territorialidades em rede<\/strong>.<\/a>
\nAZEVEDO, G. A. N. et al. <\/em>(Ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Selo Editorial Proarq \u2013 Paisagens H\u00edbridas, 2024.<\/p>\n

Report<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>CARVALHO, L. D. et al.<\/em> (Ed.). Direitos de crian\u00e7as e adolescentes<\/a>: Diagn\u00f3stico do munic\u00edpio de Belo Horizonte: Escuta das crian\u00e7as<\/strong>. Belo Horizonte: IEAT\/UFMG, 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Children\u2019s participation in urban planning should be taken seriously, researchers say","protected":false},"author":777,"featured_media":558304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[226,265],"coauthors":[5375],"class_list":["post-558303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humanities","tag-education","tag-urbanism"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/777"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558303"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":558328,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558303\/revisions\/558328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558303"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=558303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}